Meat and poultry processors across Ohio are getting a financial boost from the state.

Businesses in Stark, Wayne, Ashland, Holmes and Tuscarawas counties are among those receiving public grants in hopes of stimulating the industry to satisfy consumer demand.

Recipients of governor's Ohio Meat Processing Grant program include two Stark County operations, Polen Meats in Canton Township and Kiko Meats in Paris Township.

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Pleasant Valley Poultry in the Baltic area of Tuscarawas County is another recipient. Each livestock or poultry processor can receive up to $250,000 under the program. In total, there will be 40 grant recipients statewide.

"This is an equipment grant," said Brad Polen, operator of Polen Meats at 612 Trump Ave. NE. "We will be able to do it more efficiently. We are going to upgrade (equipment.) I would like to hire more employees. I could hire two or three meatcutters, butchers. The animals are here. It is a matter of getting them slaughtered. The supply is here."

Polen Meats handles hogs, cattle, goats, lamb and buffalo. The grant award for Polen Meats is $230,174.

"When we applied, we had to give them quotes on all the equipment that we were interested in purchasing," Polen said. "I know what equipment I need to make it more efficient."

And operators of Kiko Meats at 1548 Union Ave. SE in the Minerva area have similar plans.

"With this grant, it will help us get more product out," said Steve Kiko, manager of Kiko Meats. "A new freezer and a new barn would definitely help a lot. That will allow us to cut more product and get meat in the freezer quicker."

The state is awarding Kiko Meats $248,392.

The grants will arrive in two disbursements. A second disbursement comes when and if the recipient demonstrates the initial funding was spent on eligible projects and purchases.

For Kiko, the prospect of adding to the employment roster is not certain.

"We will see how it goes," Kiko said. "We have a good crew right here. Right now we are booked into 2023 for somebody wanting to get beef slaughtered. That is for custom butchering."

The coronavirus pandemic has been impacting the meat processing industry, according to the Ohio Farm Service Agency. Some plants lost workers because they became ill or wanted to avoid catching the virus.

"When they are not there, that means the product does not move as quickly," said Christina Cooley, public relations officer for the Ohio Farm Service Agency. "They are trying to start up again the small processing facilities to help at the county level. When the pandemic essentially started, one of the things that was noticed was there were certain products that were hard to find."

Funds for the Ohio Meat Processing Grant Program are coming out of the 2022-2023 state biennial budget approved last year.

In Tuscarawas County, Aden Troyer, operator of Pleasant Valley Poultry at 201 S. Mill St., Baltic, plans to buy a thermoforming machine used in packaging.

"We do customer work for small farmers," Troyer said. "Back when the pandemic hit, some of these bigger stores like Walmart, their shelves were empty. They (consumers) came to me and my customers. I would say in 2021 we probably turned away as many people as we accepted. If this equipment comes in, we can probably double our production."

Pleasant Valley Poultry is scheduled to receive $250,000. Pleasant Valley Poultry handles chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese.

Meat business in Wayne and Ashland counties.

Three businesses in Wayne County will receive state grants under the program: 3D Meats, Marshallville Meats and Whitefeather Meats. Each is receiving $250,000.

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Two operations in Ashland County are receiving state grants. They are Tea Hills Poultry Company, which is receiving $245,810, and Turk Brothers Custom Meats, scheduled to receive $250,000.

Cara Tipton, who operates Tea Hills Poultry in the Loudonville area, plans to purchase new equipment that she speculates will increase safety for employees and enhance efficiency.

"Being in a low-margin industry and it being a rough couple of years with the pandemic, this grant program was definitely needed," Tipton said.

Efforts to contact the three Wayne County operations and Turk Brothers Custom Meats were not successful. 

Reach Malcolm at 330-580-8305 or malcolm.hall@cantonrep.com

Bryce Buyakie of the Wooster Daily Record contributed to this article